A standard vacuum pump designed for evacuation and dehydration can never be used as a recovery device in combination with a pressurized container.

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The important idea is that recovering refrigerant from a pressurized container requires equipment built to safely transfer refrigerant into a recovery cylinder while controlling pressures. A standard vacuum pump is designed to evacuate air and moisture by pulling a vacuum, not to handle liquids, not to manage high-pressure refrigerant, and not to store recovered refrigerant in a cylinder. Because of that, connecting a pressurized container to such a pump can force liquid refrigerant into the pump, contaminate the pump oil, damage seals, or release refrigerant improperly, and it won’t provide the controlled transfer and containment that recovery equipment must ensure. Recovery devices used in the field are specifically designed to capture refrigerant from pressurized systems and keep it contained in a recovery cylinder, in compliance with safety and EPA requirements. So the statement is true: a standard evacuation/dehydration vacuum pump cannot serve as a recovery device with a pressurized container. The limitation isn’t about a particular refrigerant like R-12 or R-22; it applies to refrigerants in general. Always use a certified recovery machine designed for the job.